Microsoft...moves in on Android

[sqlpython]

Read this....... the rats!!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technol ... phone.html

[Fitzcarraldo]

The rats, indeed. I wonder what the specific functionality is in Android that Microsoft is claiming money for. Any idea?

[alonsoty]

From unofficial rumors it would seem that the screen keyboard Android supports the three-fingered keys combination: Ctrl+Alt+Canc...

However, HTC had strong agreement with M$ in the past ...

[ExpatPaul]

However, HTC had strong agreement with M$ in the past ...

I suspect this is why HTC are paying out now. They don't want to burn any bridges just in case Windows Phone finds a market.

[alonsoty]

ExpatPaul, is really what I think!
To me, this phantom of infringement of patents is actually an agreement to cover the market against other products or future products.

[Stupot]

This is just another example of screwed up patent laws. Microsoft is doing the best they can to squash android, but they can't really go against Google because Google has plenty of patents of their own to easily counter sue Microsoft and everybody loses. HTC doesn't have many so they are apt to quickly fold to Microsoft.

[Fitzcarraldo]

The article that was linked to is certainly an interesting one; although, admittedly filled with nuances.

126 words in a snippet from the Business section of the Los Angeles Times hardly constitutes an article, in my opinion. And I fail to see how those 126 words are "filled with nuances". Pray, illuminate us.

[korvinus]

Tbh it's just a good business attitude to stay onside with MS for HTC. It's totally wrong in most peoples eyes, like the whole Novell/MS agreement.

MS are just pulling what they always try to to secure their place (which tbh i can't blame them). The patent laws, infringements and what-not is getting stupid (i read one article that someone managed to "patent" toast in the US ) we've had lots of tech wars in the past the browser wars and the likes, but it seems that now it's a patent war and who can hold the most, look at Google with the purchase of Motorola.

Big companies are buying similar tech or companies with higher tech to add the patents to their own list. The whole "intellectual property" thing is getting stupid. It's putting cases in courts that will last for years, protested by dummy companies with 0 products who bring the cases. There is one i read about that was involving Google where Redhat has stepped in as well to battle the patent suit.

I think for tech to go anywhere they should scrap the patent laws as they are, admitted some thing needs to be put in place, but at the moment patents have such a wide area they can cover, are so ambiguous in terms that they can be put against anything.

Enough of my rant though...

Why i started reading this post was it was also something the recent purchase by MS of Skype sorta brings up the same issues. I think MS no matter what they say bought Skype for the patents they have.

P.S sorry for the kind of necro, just didn't want to start a new post when something similar to the way i was thinking was already posted.

[ExpatPaul]

I think for tech to go anywhere they should scrap the patent laws as they are, admitted some thing needs to be put in place, but at the moment patents have such a wide area they can cover, are so ambiguous in terms that they can be put against anything.

I certainly agree that software patents are a joke - they are counter-productive and their effect is to suppress innovation and encourage monopolies. I don't think we need anything to replace them, though - copyright is sufficient.